Author: NBTC

Two years have passed since Dubai unveiled its initiative in the digital asset sector – the establishment of the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the world’s first regulator dedicated exclusively to virtual assets. Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with Deepa Raja Carbon, the Managing Director and Vice Chairperson at VARA, who led the establishment initiative. Our conversation focused on evaluating the steps taken by VARA in regards to the digital assets space, critiquing the effectiveness of the current regulatory landscape, and strategizing the best path forward for crypto businesses aiming to secure their regulatory licenses in…

AntPool, the second-largest Bitcoin (BTC) mining pool, mined seven consecutive blocks on May 17, sparking worries within the cryptocurrency community about network security. This series of blocks confirmed 20,686 transactions, resulting in over 23 BTC, valued at approximately $1.54 million in revenue. The mining spree occurred between block heights 843,898 and 843,904, lasting one hour and 38 minutes. Large mining pools #AntPool and Foundry #USA now control over 50% of Bitcoin’s hash rate, raising concerns about potential #centralization and 51% attacks.This centralization trend, driven by economies of scale, allows these pools to censor transactions, as seen with #F2Pool’s… pic.twitter.com/xHQj4TzlcX —…

The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the world’s largest securities settlement system, completed a pilot project with blockchain oracle Chainlink (LINK) and multiple major U.S. financial institutions, aiming to help accelerate the tokenization of funds, according to a Thursday report published by DTCC. The purpose of project called Smart NAV was to establish a standardized process to bring and disseminate net asset value (NAV) data of funds across virtually any private or public blockchains using Chainlink’s interoperability protocol CCIP. Market participants included American Century Investments, BNY Mellon, Edward Jones, Franklin Templeton, Invesco, JPMorgan, MFS Investment Management, Mid Atlantic Trust,…

Memecoins have recently been endeavoring to get back the attention while the crypto market is experiencing recovery. Lookonchain, a prominent blockchain analytics platform, has highlighted a crypto address that made a significant profit in after purchasing several meme tokens. On its official account on X, the analytics forum provided the details of the respective event. Is it profitable to trade #MEMEcoins like buying lottery tickets?topcaller.sol has bought 5,417 #MEMEcoins since April 9, investing an average of 0.215 $SOL each.7 of the #MEMEcoins had an ROI of over 1000%, with a total profit of 290 $SOL.The win rate for his #MEMEcoin……

Former President Donald Trump has been dubbed “America’s first crypto president” ever since his first year in office in 2017, according to Chris Giancarlo, a former CFTC commissioner. This designation came about when his administration approved the introduction of Bitcoin futures contracts, he said. Giancarlo, speaking at a Washington DC crypto policy event on Wednesday, highlighted Trump’s supposedly long-standing reputation in the crypto industry, Fox Business reported. The ex-official’s comments come after Trump last week pledged to end cryptocurrency hostility if re-elected. “In addition to announcing he’s now ‘good with it’ — crypto, that is — Trump may justifiably claim…

Venezuela’s Ministry of Electric Power announced it would disconnect all cryptocurrency mining farms from the national power grid (SEN, Sistema Electrico Nacional). The measure aims to control the high energy demand from these mining farms and ensure reliable service for citizens. AlbertoNews, a local media outlet, reported the announcement on May 18. “The purpose is to disconnect all cryptocurrency mining farms in the country from the SEN [National Electrical System], avoiding the high impact on demand, which allows us to continue offering an efficient and reliable service to all the Venezuelan people,” the Ministry reported in its account in Instagram.…

Mastercard announced the selection of five startups to participate in its Start Path blockchain and digital assets program on Wednesday to foster innovation in blockchain technology and digital asset utilization. As part of Mastercard’s new initiative, these startups will explore new ways to use money to address real-world challenges, enhance user experiences, and broaden the utility of blockchain technology. Mastercard Emphasizes Global Payments Expertise Mastercard highlighted its experience constructing a global payments network, emphasizing its capability to connect regulated money, bank deposits, stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) with startups. The program’s objective is to drive the development of…

Muneeb Ali, co-founder of Stacks, shared his perspective on the rapid shift towards a diverse and active phase of innovation within the Bitcoin ecosystem. Ali highlighted a notable shift in the challenges faced by Stacks within the Bitcoin ecosystem, with an increased focus on creativity and solution diversity at a panel during Dubai’s Token2049 event “The biggest problem with Bitcoin right now is that there’s so many different, like L2s and protocols,” Ali began, referencing a recent tweet by Kyle Smani of Multicoin. The Stacks co-founder emphasized this as a positive shift from previous perceptions that nobody ever wanted to…

Cardano (ADA) has reached a significant milestone, recording a staggering 90 million transactions on its network. This achievement comes at a pivotal moment for Cardano as it prepares to implement game-changing upgrades. Cardano, often hailed for its robust and research-driven approach to blockchain development, has steadily gained traction within the cryptocurrency community since its inception. The achievement of 90 million transactions serves as a testament to Cardano’s growing adoption and utility, highlighting its ability to support a diverse range of use cases and transaction types. As Cardano continues to expand its reach and capabilities, the timing of this milestone is…

Due to some formalities in the criminal justice system, a world-class team of lawyers, and Fifth Amendment protections of due process, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao isn’t yet in prison despite receiving a four-month sentence. On April 30, 2024, a US district judge in Seattle sentenced Zhao to four months at Seatac, an administrative security federal detention center and prison. According to the judge’s signed judgment, Zhao “shall surrender for service of sentence as notified by the Probation or Pretrial Services Office.” Those offices have not yet notified Zhao that he must enter that California prison. Possibilities for sentenced criminals…